Headlines in the April 29, 1910 Mail were: “FIRE IN THE VALLEY; The McPhail Hotel at New Chicago is burned to the ground.” The property owned by Archie and Mary Ann McPhail burned Wednesday evening April 27. The fire was discovered about 8:30 p.m. in the second story of the building. Neighbors quickly gathered to assist and about 35 people worked for several hours. Some formed bucket brigades and others removed as much of the belongings as they could before the roof caved in. The only water available was 50 feet from the house. The barn and other nearby buildings were saved. A few days before the fire an irrigation ditch that ran near the house had been closed off to let the area dry so it could be cleaned out. The cause of the fire was believed to be from a chimney. The building was erected 29 years before the fire after the previous hotel on the same spot had burned down. (This would make the hotel’s original start date prior to 1881.)
The previous fire occurred in the dead of winter and the temperature was 20 degrees below zero. Archie rebuilt the hotel the next spring as it was a welcome place for the weary traveler on their way to “Old Bear.”
Archie’s son, R. D. McPhail, assistant cashier at the Drummond State Bank married Miss Grace Hanifen of Garnet during the week of September 20th stated the September 27, 1912 Philipsburg Mail. The ceremony was performed in Butte at the Catholic Church with Rev. Father McCormick performing the ceremony. The attendants were Mr. and Mrs. Noel McPhail. The bride’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. H.T. Hanifen. The couple set up housekeeping in Drummond.
Archie A. McPhail died April 6, 1928 at his son Noel McPhail’s home in Los Angeles. Born in Canada on August 31, 1838, to Archie and Christie (McIntosh) McPhail, he came to the United States as a young man. Archie arrived in Montana by way of Pike’s Peak in Colorado and traveled from Fort Bridger to Bannock where he arrived on September 20, 1862. I have been unable to determine if he was the same person referred to as D. A. “Archie” McPhail, married to Matilda Schnepel Wenandy McPhail when she died June 8, 1888. I also found references to Archie McPhail having problems with A.H. Porter in 1893 and that Archie had married one of Porter’s sisters in 1890.
Archie’s wife, Mary Ann died in 1923 and a year later he moved to his son’s home in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he had always lived on a ranch near New Chicago that was settled in the 1860’s. He did some mining, but the majority of his efforts were in ranching and raising stock. The Society of Montana Pioneers (1899), stated that his occupations was a miner and stock raiser. The funeral was held in Drummond with internment at the Valley cemetery.
Allen McPhail “…the oldest citizen of Granite county” died January 23, 1930 at his ranch home near New Chicago at the age of 94. Born at Harrison’s Corners, Ontario, Canada August 3, 1836, Allen went to the gold fields in Colorado as a young man. After living in Denver for two years he moved to Oregon and then Boise, Idaho. In 1865, Allen came to Montana and settled in the Flint Creek valley where he had lived continuously for the past 65 years. When he first settled in Montana, Allen engaged in placer mining activities. Then in 1871 he settled a homestead near New Chicago and engaged in ranching. He married Rozenia Gasper in 1879. Allen was an active member of the Society of Montana Pioneers and had a very nice eulogy written in the paper by “Sandbar” Brown’s son James: …Civilization for one brief moment was halted last week while Time recorded the fact that a peaceful man’s work had been completed. In the interval every beating heart in the little community wailed. Stand Aside! while a monument to a man was being moulded to remain forever in memory! Thus as the warrior used the moment for his trumpet, the peaceful man uses the human heart. Here, then, is his place in the sun, and Death perpetuates it. Internment was at the Valley cemetery. Survivors were; wife Rozenia, son Emery McPhail of Three Forks; Daughters: Miss Nettie McPhail a teacher in Missoula, Mrs. J.R. (Annie) Enman of Hall and Mrs. (Christie) Nakken of Drummond; one brother Chris McPhail of Harrison’s Corner, Ontario and three grandchildren.
Rozenia Gasper McPhail died on October 2, 1932 at the family ranch at the age of 86.
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